At least 40 dead and 230 injured due to heavy rains in the east of the country

Today’s news: Three civilians killed in Israeli raid in southern Lebanon, in Gaza attack on UN school tops 20 dead. Talks between Palestinian factions on July 20-21 in China. A senior North Korean official in Cuba defects and flees to South Korea. Bangkok court postpones extradition hearing to Vietnam of Montagnard activist Y Quynh Bdap.

AFGHANISTAN

At least 40 people were killed and another 230 injured by the strong rains There have been several heavy rains in the eastern part of the country in recent days. The victims were caused by a combination of strong storms and water bombs that caused trees, walls and roofs of houses to collapse. The death toll and the number of injured are still provisional and are expected to rise.

LEBANON – ISRAEL – GAZA

Three civilians were killed and three others injured in a incursion Israeli Air Force fighters yesterday in Bint Jbeil and Kfarkela in southern Lebanon in an operation against a Hezbollah depot and military installation. Meanwhile, the death toll and more than 100 wounded rose to 22 in the July 14 IDF attack on a Hezbollah depot and military installation. school (the fifth against educational institutions in eight days) in central Gaza, which is home to displaced people. Members of Hamas were on the Jewish side, and witnesses speak of children among the victims.

CHINA – PALESTINE

The various Palestinian factions, including the two main rival groups, Hamas and Al Fatah, will maintain conversations China on July 20 and 21. The news has been confirmed by senior officials, in an attempt to smooth out the deep divisions that have separated them for 17 years and to achieve greater strength in the talks on the ceasefire in Gaza. This would be the second summit, after the one held last April.

KOREA

A former North Korean diplomat based in Cuba has defected with his wife and child to South Korea, becoming the highest-ranking official to flee the Kim regime since 2016. The incident dates back to November but only came to light yesterday. Ri Il KyuThe 52-year-old was a counselor at the embassy in Pyongyang, whose duties included blocking budding ties between Seoul and Havana.

PAKISTAN – AFGHANISTAN

The Peshawar High Court ruled, in a case brought by 95 Afghan and Pakistani nationals, that women married to Afghan nationals have the right to double nationalitywhich eliminates the problems arising from administrative obstacles related to multiple registrations. Millions of Afghan citizens live in neighbouring Pakistan, many of them since the Soviet-Afghan war of the 1980s.

THAILAND – VIETNAM

A Bangkok court yesterday postponed the hearing on Vietnam’s request to Thailand to extradite the Montagnard activist And Quynh Bdap. Rights NGOs say the man, an Ede Indian, is at risk of torture upon his return. Judges agreed to the defence’s request to provide the accused with documents in an “understandable” language. The next hearings will take place on 1 and 19 August.

RUSSIA

The Paris Olympics will not be broadcast by any television channel in Russia, a first for 40 years, when the 1984 Atlanta Olympics were boycotted by Moscow following tensions over the invasion of Afghanistan. The refusal is said to be due to “political reasons related to the current situation”, and broadcasting contracts have also been withdrawn.

KAZAKHSTAN

Kazakhstan’s national railway company Kazakhstan Temir Žoly has announced that “women’s carriages” will be added to the Astana-Semej, Aktobe-Almaty and Almaty-Šymkent routes. Only women with their children up to seven years old will be allowed to travel on them, and only female drivers will be allowed. The demand for these vehicles is constantly growing.